Metallic roofing shingle



Jan. 10, 1939. E. Bussi-:Y:

METALLIC ROOFING SHINGLE Filed July l5, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR51e/V557 5f/555V.

ATTORN EYS Jan. 10, 1939. E. BUssEY METALLIC ROOFVUG SHINGLE Filed Julyl5, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FT'GJI.

INVENTOR ERNEST Bassa-Y ATTORNEYS Jan. 10, 1939. E. BUSSEY METALLICROOFlNG SHINGLE Filed July l5, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 22

INVENTOR ERNEST BusL-TY ATTORNEYS Z V/z'@ Z6 23657 M 26 Z8 Z Z8 fquickly laid and thoroughly leak-proof roof. v each butt portion carriesits own lock lug it fol- `15 `construction and manner of laying shinglesas members to a narrow zone at or beyond the tip 15 25 face requiredper. square .of rooiing to be covered: tively inverted outwardlyextended ears though 25 l 30v j oint area so that it will resist. windpressure shingles, havingtapered butts and side nailing 30 '35 Myinvention further contemplates suplacing bers stopping short oftheadjacent nail. The ar- 35 45 held down and provide that closesurface-com. the nailed corner or ear of a subiacent shingle, 45

Patented Jan. 1o, 1939 2,142,996

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METAmc noornvol snnvGLE Ernest Bussey,Birmingham, Ala.

Application July 15, 1935, Serial No. 31,373

` n-omims. (c1. ros-17) My invention relates to an improvement in oneither side of the center line of the diagonal shingle roofs and moreparticularly to a novel cut which separates the shingle butts from thedesign of metallic or rigid shingles anda Vnew adjacent shingle ears.and improved method of cutting, laying and 'Ihus I can provide unitarymetallic shingles '5 interlocking same solas to provide an economic,which are symmetrical and reversible and since 5 In Letters Patent No.2,008,575 I have shown lows that when a shingle isA cut to nt a rake org and described the. general design of the shingle valley both portionsthereof can be utilized hecontemplated in my present invention, but thatcause the part cutaway to nish out one course 10 application was moreparticularly concerned with will iit into a course above. v l0 flexiblecomposition shingles and a novel manner By conning the lock elements tothis area the of laying same. side lap relationship of the shinglesthroughout In my present invention I am carrying into the all, or.:practically the whole, of their exposed lap rigid or metallic shingleart the principles of joints is preserved and by conning the lockdefined and claimed in said patent, with such of the exposed butt theedges of such butt can be changes `as are necessary to obtain the benetskept sulilciently removed from the nails in the of my improved type ofroof from this different underlying foundation to safe guard the latterShingle stock. from water penetration. By cutting out all of 20 Oneobject of lmy invention is to provide a the stock in such narrow zoneexcept sulclent to 20 metal Shingle that can be laid over new work orform the lock element itself, I produce a shingle as a recover shingleover old roofs, andzwhich having my preferred conguration in that, whileis preferably of large size and adapted to be laid all of its oppositesides are parallel and equal in with a small side lap so the ratio ofAshingle surlength, the upper and lower edges of its relawill be keptvery low. A equal in length to each other are unequal in AMypresent'invention' contemplates an improved length to opposed upperand lower butt ends of method of reinforcing and stiiening the 'centralthe shingle. Another important feature of my portion of the shinglelying 'within its marginal invention relates to a roof composed ofmetallic S errerted against its exposed butt tip and yet be corners,which'are anchored to each other and fully flexible transversely Vsothat its side lap joint the decking by means of hold down lock membersedge portions are free to lie in close surface coand nails respectivelyarranged in the vertical tact with the underlying roofl elements. centerline of the shingles with the lock memthese 'reinforcements that theyare symmetrically rangement is only permissible with rigid stockdisposed in the shingle and lie vertical so Ythat from which a stronglock lip can be formed and the shingle may be cut and reversed with allof it hasthe very'important advantage of keeping the economic advantagespointed out in my applithe nailsY removed as far as possible from thebutt 40- cation aforesaid. Y edges. l 40 My 'invention furthercomprises` a 'varietysoiA Since each metal shinglein such a roof willeffective arrangements by which' the exposed butt haveanchorfnailsapplied ,only in its side corners tip of the shingle 'can be sointerlocked with one or. ears after the lock -member at or near the ciits foundation elements that it will be firmly -oenter'of itsvbutttip'has Vbeen engaged under tact throughout the side lap-joints sonecessary 'to it follows` that, in the manner well understood in inSllethe IOO against-leakage#- 2 Y t the'roong art, its nails may be drivenso as to My invention is particularly concerned with stretch the sideedges of its butt diagonally upproviding said butt tip lock elementswithout such wardly away from the lock member thereby to :.0 a waste ofstock material as will increase theY draw' such vedges into close,surface contact 50 cest of roong per square of roof to be coveredthroughout the lap joint with the subjacent and to this end it isproposed to out the shingles shingle edges and to hold these edgesfirmly from stock just as described in my companion together against anytendency to separate and application, except that the lock elementlisformed open suchjoints. mithin a zone lying about one quarter of an inchMy invention further comp es the pre-treat- "55 ment of a metallicstarting strip so that it will serve to line the bottom row of shinglesand to interlock therewith so as properly to space them, matching nailholes preferably being punched in the strip and in the shingle ears soas to enforce the correct alignment of the starting row of shingles. f

My invention also contemplates forming on the shingle ears the matchmarks such as are called for in my patent, and punching the nail holesnear the middle of the diagonal edge of the ears.

My invention further contemplates the novel manner of nishing along therake of the roof, and also along the eave.

My invention further comprises the novel details of construction andarrangements of parts which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a sheet metal stock strip showing one of theshingles blanked out and provided with a lock lug on its butt ends.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the cut out shingle standing in the position inwhich it is laid but Without its lock lugs being bent.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional line on the line III-III of Fig. 2showing the shingle with its lock lugs bent to operating position.

Fig. 4 illustrates a modification of my invention in which-each locklug, shown unbent, is formed with a complemental socket in the carryingelement adapted to nest over the underlying socket element in which suchVlugs is adapted to be received.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line V--V of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a view corresponding to Fig. 4 showing the lock lug bent underinto operating position.

Fig. 7 is a sectional View taken on the line VII-VII of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is an end elevation of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a View in half size showing an interlocked butt joint forshingles according to the showing in Figs. 4 to 8.

Fig. 10 is a View of a portion of a roof showing the metal startingstrip along the eave and a diagonal cut for valley or hip with rst andsecond course shingles laid up and interlocked in operating positionwith the centers of the shingles shown with stiening ribs.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on the line XI-XI ofFig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a view corresponding to Fig. 9 show ing a modification of theshingle ear carrying in its longitudinal edge a lock lug adapted toengage a similar lug on the overlying shingle butt.

Fig. 13 is a section taken on the line XIII-XIII of Fig. 12.

Fig. 14 illustrates the manner of making the diagonal cuts in the stockto form the lock elements on the butts and ears of adjacent blanksaccording to Fig. 12.

Fig. 15 is a view corresponding to Fig. 12 of a modified type ofnotchout and lug interlock for the shingle. l

Fig. 16 is a sectional view taken on the line XVI-XVI of Fig.15.

Fig. 17 is a View corresponding to Fig. 14 showing the lines for cuttingout the shingle blanks shown in Fig. l5.

Fig. 18 is a view corresponding to Figs. 12 and 15 of a furthermodification of my notch and lug interlock.

Fig. 19 is a sectional view taken on the line XIX-XIX of Fig. 18; and

Fig. 20 is a view corresponding to Figs, 14 and 17 for cutting out theshingle blanks shown in Fig. 18.

Fig. 21 is a detail sectional view showing the manner of iinishing therake.

Fig. 22 is a View similar to Fig. 10 showing the reinforced shingleswithout lock lugs.

Fig. 23 is a cross section on the XXIII- XXIII of Fig. 22.

Fig. 24 is a fragmental View illustrating the shingle blanks being cutwith the lug that is shown on the butt in Fig. 1, carried by the shingleear and adapted to be bent up over, instead of under the butt.

Fig. 25 is a View illustrating a further method of cutting the shingleblanks to provide the complemental butt and ear edges with lock lips.

Fig. 26 shows a modication of Fig. 25.

Fig. 27 is an enlarged View showing a shingle butt interlocked by thelips shown in Fig. 26.-

Similar reference numerals refer tof similar parts throughout thedrawings.

According to the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and3, I show my improved type of shingle cut from a metallic strip 2i, butit will be noted that it may be cut from any suit able shingle stock.The individual shingle blanks are cut from the strip by similar spacedzig-zag lines which form continuous parallel transverse cuts that areenlarged at their parallel inclined ends to form juxtaposed side edges22 and spaced diagonal edges 23 and 24, these latter edges being spaced,in the full sized shingle, approximately one-half inch so as to leavespace in this cut out zone for the formation of a semi-circular lock lug25 which is carried by the truncated tips of the butt portions 26 of theshingle body 2l. The side edges 22 form equal opposed parallel inclinedside edges of the shingle when in its operating position shown in Fig. 2and the other side edges of the stock form the equal interposed parallelinclined edges 22a of the shingles, these edges 22, 22a dening a bodysubstantially square except for ears 28, 28a which are complemental,similar and reversely disposed and made up of the stock cut away totruncate the butts 26. This manner of cutting the shingle correspondssubstantially to that described in my patent aforesaid with theexception that in that application there was no blanking out of stockbetween the edges 23 and 24 in the diagonal ends of the cross cutsbecause it was unnecessary to provide the locking lugs 25 where cementwas used to hold down the butt tips.

In order to form the lugs 25 within the area available for the cuttingout of the shingle blank without disturbing its side lap, I drop backapproximately a quarter of an inch from the center line of the diagonalcuts, as shown in my said patent, this portion cut away from ear andbutt leaving a half inch of stock for the formation of the lock lug 25without causing wastage in shingle stock that represents a l`oss ineffective roof coverage because the roof can be laid with these cut awayshingles without increasing the number of shingles required per squareof roof. In cutting out the shingles the cutting tool or shear willcarry with it elements which will apply to each ear at the center of itsdiagonal edge an alignline ing marker 29, it being noted that thesemarkersl align with the shingle edge lying across the eax. At the sametime and in the vertical center line of each ear near'its diagonal edgeis punched a nail hole 30. In the same or succeeding opera tions thelugs 25 are bent under as shown in Fig. 3 so as to receive under them inthe bight thus Cil formed one thickness of metal stock. In Fig. 2 thelugs are shown unbent, but in Fig. 3 they are bent.

Shingles, as thus made up, are laid exactly like the shingles describedin my patent aforesaid, with the exception that in lieu of the use ofcement I provide the lug 25 or some equivalent means to hold down theexposed butt by engagement with some part of the lower edge of the earwhich forms half of its underlying foundation.

Assuming these shingles to be of 28 gauge stock, it will be apparentthat the shingle butt will be only slightly raised by the lug under itscenter and that this rise will disappear toward the inclined edges 22and 22a of the butt so as not to interfere with a flat surface contactthroughout the side lap joints with underlying roof elements.

Fig 10, While illustrating a modification of my invention, may bereferred to for the purpose of showing the manner in which the ears 28and 28a of adjacent shingles in a row abut and are matched by theirmarkers 29 to form the foundations for the overlying shingle buttsAwhich are to be 'interlocked therewith by hooking their lugs 25 underthe low edge of the adjacent ears 28a.

In Figs. 4 to 11 I show a modification of my invention wherein the buttstock 26 in the cutting operation is pressed up opposite the lock lug 25approximately the thickness of the stock to form a raised pocket 3|level with the locklug 25, which lug, as shown in Fig. 7, is bent underthe pocket and spaced therefrom the thickness of the metal stock. Thetop of the pocket and the lock lug 25 form a circular surface with itscenter in the base line of the cut awayA butt and at the center thereof.Like semi-circular pockets 3| are pressed up on the horizontal edge ofeach ear 28 and 28a and adapted to nestin the matching pocket of any lugengaged therein as shown in Figs. 9 and 11.

Fig. 11 shows the raised surface 3| forming the pockets on the upper tip26 of the underlying shingle 21 and on the lower tip 2S of the overlyingshingle 2T nested into similar raised pocket elements 3| provided in theabutting ears 28 and 28a onthe interposed shingles on each side of theparticular joint being shown.

It will be noted that the lock lug 25 of the exposed butt of the shingleis engaged in the pocket of the ear 28a and is thereby held down firmly.Nails are shown driven into the decking 33, these nails being driventhrough the previously punched holes 3D in the ears 28 and 28a. Thenails are also driven through the underlying shingle just below itspocket 3| at its upper butt tip and at the same time the nested pockets3| on the ear 28 and the upper shingle tip are struck and flattened downas shown in Fig. 11.

The lock lugs of a shingle lie in its vertical center line or diagonal,which is in line with the anchor nails for the ears forming thefoundation for its exposed butt tips, which arrangement is possiblebecause the lug is designed to stop short I side edges of the shinglebutt to a flush surfacel contact with the underlying lap surface thatwill prevent water being carried across the joint by capillary actionand gaining access to nails or decking.

It may be desirable to stiifen the shingle stock. particularly where itis formed of light gauge metal, and it is important that this be done bythe provision of stiiening ribs which will lie vertically in theshingles as laid, which will be confined to its exposed single plyroofing surface 1ying within the lap joints of itscomponent shingles,and which will preferably be of symmetrical arrangement so that theshingles, when inverted or cut, will match. As shown, I provide threeribs, a center rib 34 and shorter parallel side ribs 35, the ends of allribs stopping short of the marginal lap joints of the laid shingles andall lying vertical will offer no resistance to the flexing of theshingle about any vertical axis to secure the close watertight side lapjoints. The ribs will however resist any flexing of the shingle aboutits .horizontal axis and will stiffen its exposed butt to first courseof shingles.'

The starting strip is preferably laid with a half inch overhang beyondthe decking 33 forming the eave, see Fig. l0, and on the'strip spacedaccording to the size of the shingles I form raised pockets 3|,corresponding to those already described and therefore adapted toreceive the lock lug 25 on the butts of the first course of shingles andto I accurately space them. At the Sametime while the starting strip hasthese pockets pressed up therein I punch an attaching nail hole 31immediately above each pocket 3| and I'also punch in this strip 2| holes38 Which are appropriately' spaced on centers to match with the holes 30in the ears of the first course shingles, it being noted particularly bythe dotted line showing of these nail holes in Fig. 9 that the nails forthe ears 28, 28a in each foundation will fall in vertical alignment.

Also in order to maintain uniformity in the appearance of the roof theshowings on the starter strip between the first course shingles areprovided with portions of reinforcing rib elements 34 and 35 which willmatch up with the shingle exposures on the roof. l

In Fig.` 10 the diagonal line 40 represents the manner in which theshingles .are cut to valley or hip lines but the special advantages ofmy shingle for this purpose being the same as that described for theshingle of my patent aforesaid needs no further description herein.

In Fig. 2l I show the manner of forming the rakes of the roof, thedecking 33 being shown with the side board 4| attached thereto and afour inch strip of 20 gauge metal 42 nailed to the necking -along therake so as to slightly overhang the side board. The starting strip 36 iscarriedout to the edge of the strip 42 and the edge of the shingels 2Tare cut so that they overhang about one-half of an inch beyond the strip42 and after they have been nailed their free edges are bent over theedge of the starting strip and the strip 42 and engaged under the latterto lock the shingle edges in position.

Having first laid the rake strips 42 and then rpplied the starting stripalong the cave I am ready for the laying of the shingles and thisproceeds, the lock lugs 25 of the rst course being rapidly and with easeengaged in the receiving pockets 3| along the base of the startingstrip, and thus aligned, correct angular position being quickly andexactly secured by matching the upper edge of each shingle ear 38 withthe top edge of the strip and aligning the hole 30 with thecorresponding startng strip hole 38, whereupon the shingles are nailedthrough the matched holes 38 sind 38 into the decking and the firstcourse is quickly and accurately set in proper position for the correctlaying of the succeeding courses.

The laying of the roof proceeds by engaging the lock lugs 25 of thesecond course shingle butts in the pockets 3| of the ears 28a of thefirst course shingles, after which the lower edge of each ear 28 ismatched with the upper edge of an ear 28a, that abutsit diagonallyacross a foundation, by

bringing their markers 29 into alignment and then nails are appliedthrough the holes 30 in each pair of abutting ears and driven throughthe upper butt end 26 of the underlying lower course shingle to securethem in posit-ion and stretch or pull up the side edges of theexposedbutt so as to insure tight lap joints and rigidly held exposures.The standard shingle will thus be anchored, except at corners by locklugs and nails lying in vertical diagonal planes through it. At the sametime that the right ear 28a is brought into alignment by its match marks29, the left ear 28 is also aligned not only by the edge matching withthe upper butt edge underlying it but also by the nesting of its pocketelement 3| with the pocket on the said underlying shingle butt.

Thus, a check is provided for alignment and the roof can be rapidly andaccurately laid by unskilled labor with the marginal edges of itsshingle exposures lying in close surface contact throughout theirrespective lap joints. As stated before, when each ear 28 is nailed downthe pocket 3| thereon is flattened by a hammer blow because it does notmatch with any corresponding element on the overlying shingle and wouldthus serve only to raise the latter. The concealed lock lug on the topbutt portion may be bent under as shown in Fig. 3 or left flat as shownin Fig. 2.

In laying the shingles they can be inverted and either portion 26 may beits lower or exposed butt. This has many practical advantages both inrespect of speed in laying and salvaging of stock. In Figs. 12 to 14 Ishow the shingles cut without wastage between the edges 24 and 23, thecorresponding edges being separated here by a shear cut 45 as is shownin Fig. 14. This gives an edge 23a iess in length than 23 but equal inlength with the edge 24a. I form at the center of this cut 45 opposedside cuts which define lugs 46 and i60. that lie within the areas of thebutt and ear respectively, and when the shingles are laid these tongueswill overlap and their free ends will match and can be bent up under orover to interlock the butt of the shingle to the underlying ear. In Fig.13 I show the lugs 46 and 46a bent up and interlocked.

In Figs. 15, 16 and 17 I show the lug 46 cut out at 41 to provide anotch, the inner edge of which is in a position to be engaged in thebight of the bent lug 46a as shown in Figs. 15 and 16.

In Figs. 18, 19 and 20 I show the reverse of the lock arrangement Fig.15, here the tongue 46 being left on the shingle butt and the notch out48 being formed in the ear. In this arrangementA when the shingles arelaid the bent ear 46 is engaged under the transverse edge of the notch48.

In Fig. 24 I show the same manner of cutting the lock lug as in Fig. 1except that here the lug 25a is attached to the edge of the ear 28arather than to the edge of the adjacent shingle butt 26 and is bent upinstead of down.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 22 and 23, the shingle50 is out from the stock as described in my patent aforesaid withoutwaste and without any lock lug on its butts 26. The stiiening ribs 34and 35 are formed in the metal of the shingle body parallel with itsvertical axis and symmetrically arranged in that central portion of theshingle body lying within its marginal lap joint area so as to stiffenthe shingle against any tendency to bend about a transverse axis awayfrom the underlying foundation, while leaving it free to bend about avertical axis to insure full surface contact throughout its marginal lapjoints with the shingles lying under or over it. These shingles are laidwith a starter strip 5| having nail holes 31 and 38 punched therein inproper position to match with the holes 3U in the ears 28 and 28a. Theve shingles cut by the section line in Fig. 22 are distinguished by thenumerals 50a, 58h, 50c, 50d and 58e, and it will be apparent that eachpair of abutting ears 28 and 28a provides a flat foundation on which thelower butts of the shingles in the next course will rest.

The corner nails that hold a shingle lie in a transverse inclined linebelow the transverse middle plane of the shingle and this lineintersects the lower ends of the ribs 34 and 35 so as to hold theexposed shingle butt stretched firmly down iiat on the underlyingshingle edges with the ribs stiiiening it against bending up.

In Fig. 25 I show the lock elements formed as ears 5|, 52 by slitsstarting in a line normal to the center line of the diagonal cut 53 andequidistant therefromv and meeting in said out with the inclination ofsaid slits reversed in the connected cuts 53. The shingles are laid withthe ears reversely disposed between the butt and underlying ear 28a.whereby the ears may be slightly bent reversely so as more readily vtointerlock when the shingle butt is shifted sidewise into correctposition. 4

In Fig. 26 I show the lock ears 54 and 55 formed by angle cuts 53, eachstarting normal to the cut 53 and terminating in a fillet 51 at a linenormal to the center of the cut 53. By bending these ears reversely andinterlocking them by a. lateral movement of the shingle butt I get thejoint shown in Fig. 27 which is very effective both to interlock thebutts to the ears 28a and also to center the butts with reference totheir foundations.

While I have shown my invention in several forms, it will be obvious tothoseskilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of*various other changes and modifications, withf out departing from thespirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitationsshall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as arespecifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:- A

1. A roof comprising metallic shingles, each having a tapered truncatedbutt and side .nailing corners, which lcorners on adjacent shingles ina. row abut to form foundations for overlying shingle butts, nailssecuring said corners and applied in the central zone of suchfoundations, the tip edge of a shingle butt in one course being matchedwith the lower edge of its respective subjacent foundation, and a lockelement cut from one of said matched edges and adapted to interlock withthe other matched edge to hold down the overlying shingle butt, saidlock element stopping short of the foundation zone carrying the nails.

2. A roof according to claim 1, in which the shingles'are laid withmarginal lap joints and the overlapping elements throughout each jointare drawn into close surface contact with the overlapped joint elementsby a tension between the lock elements and the corner nails of theshingles.

3. A roof according to claim 1, in which the side nailing corners ofadjacent shingles in a course abut diagonally to provide a foundationwith parallel top and bottom edges, and interlocking elements formedfrom portions lying within said matched edges to hold down the shinglebutt.

4. A roof according to claim 1, in which the corners of adjacentshingles 4in a course abut diagonally to provide a foundation withparallel top and bottom edges, and the lock element being bent from themiddle portion of one matched edge into position to interlock with theother edge.

5. A metal roong shingle generally square except at its corners, itsupper and lower corners being truncated and stock substantially equiva-vythe ear with which it interlocks at the point of engagement therewith.

6. A .metal roong shingle having a truncated butt andside nailingcorners, one comprising an ear substantially equal to the stock removedin .truncating the exposed shingle butt and having aYL base edgeparallel with the buttl tip edge with which it is adapted to be matched,in laying, and a lock means for a shingle butt formed near the center ofone of said matching edges and stopping short of the distance betweenthe matched ear edge and the position for its retaining nail.

7. A metallic shingle having a generally square body with opposedreversible truncated upper and lower butts and with side nailing earsprojecting from the shingle which are adapted in adjacent shingles of arow to abut and provide a foundation shaped to form a horizontalmatching edge for the butt of an overlying shingle, and correspondingaligning lock tabs projecting symmetrically from the center of bothtruncated butt edges, the lowermost of which is adapted tohook undersaid horizontal matching edge.

8. A metallic shingle having a generally square body with opposedreversible truncated upper and -lower butts and side `nailing cornerswhich are corresponding aligning lock tabs projecting sym- 1 metricallyfrom the center of both truncated butt edges, the opposed edges oftheshingle body being equal and parallel and the butt matching corneredges being parallel with, but shorter than, the butt edges with whichthey are intended to match. 9. A metallic roof comprising reversibleshingles having a generally square body with opposed like'truncatedupper and lower butts and offset side nailing corners, which corners areadaptedv to abut with corners of adjacent shingles in. a course toprovide a flat foundation, continuous with and lying in the plane of themarginal side lap joint edges of the shingle and having parallel upperand lower edges adaptedto match with the underlying and overlyingtruncated butt edges of shingles in the adjoining courses, and a locktab projecting from each matching butt edge'and oifset substantiallyfrom the side joint edges,

which tab on the lower butts is adapted to be bent and interlock thematched edges and to lie between the projected side lap joint areas andbelow the nailing zone of its respective corner.

10. A metal roofing shingle having a truncated butt and side nailingcorners, one comprising an ear substantially equal to the stock removedin truncating the shingle butt and having a base edge parallel with thebutt tip edge with which it is adapted to be matched, in laying, and alock means for a shingle butt formed by a short n arrow lug disposed inthe center of and substantially spaced from the ends of both of saidmatching edges, said lug being in length less than the verticalwidth onthe center line normal to the horizontal edge of the ear with which itis adapted to engage in laying.

11. A unitary shingle of flexible stock and approximately rectangularoutline having symmetrical truncated opposed butt ends adapted forinterchangeable exposure, side nailing corners adapted toreceiveanchoring nails for the shingie in position to be covered by the exposedbutt of an overlying shingle, and duplicate hold down elements similarlyplaced on the truncated end of said butts the lowermost of whichelements is l bendable into position to interlock the exposed butt withan underlying nailing corner.

ERNEST BUSSEY.

